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Drum Patterns

In this tutorial, you will create a simple generative drum pattern with Flow. You will learn how to configure the state machines and use some of the basic features of Flow. The next tutorials will introduce you to more advanced features.

Pattern Overview​

You will create a generative drum pattern similar to the one demonstrated in the Music Modeling chapter. It consists of four parallel parts:

  • Kick and snare that set the foundation of the beat, played on quarter notes;
  • Hi-hats that add dynamics and variation to the beat, played on sixteenth notes;
  • Ghost notes, soft off-beat notes played on the kick or snare that add some groove and syncopation to the beat, played on dotted sixteenth notes;
  • Cymbals that add accents to the beat, played every four bars.

Each part will have its own state machine that will generate notes according to the rules you set.

The following state machine diagram illustrates this pattern:

Parallel state machine with four parts representing a complex and dynamic drum beat

First, let's configure the MIDI track that will host Flow and instrument plug-ins.